WHEN Chelsea Tantum first stepped into a sunbed shop at 16, she was chasing a bronzed glow that rivalled her teen friends.
She had no idea about the consequences, and never imagined that years later, age 30, it would be the cause of her stage four skin cancer nightmare.
Chelsea Tantum, 30, mistook a harmless mole on her leg was for incurable melanoma that has spread into her lungs, brain and bones Credit: Supplied
Chelsea reveals how chasing UV rays came at a deadly price, as she now warns others of the dangers Credit: Supplied
What she mistook for a harmless mole on her leg was, in fact, incurable melanoma that has spread into her lungs, brain and bones.
“If you imagine a dandelion and how all the little seeds disperse, it works like that,” she tells Jattvibe Health.
“I had no idea that a mole on my leg could end up in my brain and lungs and be so life-threatening. People think it won’t happen to them.”
As Brits prepare for the holiday season, already relishing what has been a hot summer, many will be topping up their tan.
But for Chelsea, who lives with her nan in Manchester, chasing UV rays came at a deadly price that she’s begging others to take seriously.
Melanoma is the less common but more deadly form of skin cancer and it’s rising in the UK.
Caused by damage to skin from UV radiation, there are around 20,000 new cases and 2,600 deaths per year.
Chelsea believes her decade-long sunbed habit is the cause of her cancer.
“I can’t say it was definitely the reason for my cancer, but if I could go back I would never, ever go on one,” she says.
“Some of my friends still use them even after everything I’m going through. That is really frustrating and hurtful.”
It comes amid a Government crackdown on tanning shops. They will be required to enforce the 18-plus age limit by IDing customers and banning self-service sunbeds.
Public health minister Sharon Hodgson said: “Jattvibebeds cause cancer and yet children as young as 14 are still accessing them illegally. That is not acceptable.”
Department of Health advisers in June said ministers should consider banning sunbeds entirely. UK charity Melanoma Focus estimates that four in 10 people aged 18 to 35 use them.
It reckons they are behind 100 cancer deaths per year in Britain.
Events organiser Chelsea says: “There is definitely a lack of understanding and education about the risks. It is so dangerous. We need to stop making it attractive to young people.”
Chelsea was diagnosed with melanoma at the end of 2024 when a fast-growing mole on her leg swelled into a bloody growth.
Chelsea believes her decade-long sunbed habit is the cause of her cancer (posed by model) Credit: Getty
She was diagnosed with melanoma in 2024 when a fast-growing mole on her leg swelled into a bloody growth Credit: Supplied
By the time she had her mole removed on the NHS, doctors found cancer cells had spread to the lymph nodes in her groin.
After finding it in her lungs, it was diagnosed as stage four – the most advanced form and very difficult or impossible to cure.
In the past 18 months Chelsea, who also has a partner, has endured surgery, a skin graft on her leg, radiotherapy on her brain, and immunotherapy.
She says: “My very worst was around this time last year. It had spread to my lungs, liver, spleen, spine, breast and lymph nodes – it was everywhere.
In the past 18 months Chelsea has endured surgery, a skin graft on her leg, radiotherapy on her brain, and immunotherapy Credit: Supplied
Melanoma is the more deadly form of skin cancer Credit: Getty Images
“It was as close to dying as I could have got and we thought it was the end.”
Treatment initially went well, but the cancer began to spread again this year and doctors are now trying to control the cancer rather than cure it.
Chelsea says: “I look okay but people need to bear in mind that you can’t necessarily see that someone is very poorly. I’ve been too weak to do anything. I get really tired and get a lot of joint stiffness.
“I’m just hoping this targeted treatment works and that more treatments become available.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, run by the World Health Organisation, classified sunbeds as carcinogenic in 2009.
It said analysis from more than 20 studies suggested using them before the age of 30 raises the risk of melanoma skin cancer by 75 per cent.
Eye cancer is also a risk.
Susanna Daniels, chief executive of the charity Melanoma Focus, said: “The popularity of sunbeds, especially among young people, poses a serious public health concern.
“It is deeply troubling that they are promoted on social media in the name of beauty and wellness, with widespread misinformation regarding their safety.”
Chelsea said: “When I first started doing sunbeds the age limit was 16, not 18. My friends were already using them and so were the girls in the year above me – it just became a cultural thing that everyone did.
“It was a bit of a competition to see who could look the best or have the best tan, so I would often do it a couple of times a week.
“When I got melanoma I didn’t understand it and didn’t know it would spread. I thought it was just a mole that would be removed.
“One of my nurses said her patients used to be in their 60s but they are getting younger and she has more patients under 30, which is scary.”
Chelsea now helps Melanoma Focus with campaigning work to raise awareness of the risks among school pupils and young people.
She hopes they will listen to the message if it comes from someone closer to their own age.
Ms Daniels, chief executive, says: “Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young people and it is on the rise in the UK.
“Jattvibebed use is strongly linked to a significant increase in the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. No one should be using them, but young skin is particularly vulnerable.”
The Department of Health has launched a consultation on new rules to protect teenagers from sunbed dangers.
Ms Hogdson says: “We’re closing the ways in which businesses could get away with this, and making sure anyone who uses a sunbed knows exactly what they’re risking.
“Stopping cancer before it starts is the best thing we can do for families and the NHS.”
SKIN CANCER FACTS
Jattvibe exposure is the number one cause of skin cancer in the UK.
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer because it can spread to other parts of the body.
There are about 20,000 new cases and 2,600 deaths every year in Britain.
Non-melanoma skin cancers are much more common, with around 160,000 cases annually.
They include basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, also known as BCCs or SCCs.
These are less dangerous as they typically do not spread and are easier to treat, but should still be checked by a doctor.
Jattvibe damage, sunburn and UV radiation from indoor sunbeds can cause either type of cancer and the symptoms are similar.
They can include:
A new mole
An old mole that has changed size, shape or colour, or become itchy, crusty, flaky or bloody
A new growth on the skin. This could be skin-coloured or pink, red, brown or black, and might be flat, raised, lumpy or scabby
A skin problem like a lump or sore that has not healed for a month or more
